Street-sweeper.



I Patented June 3, I902. A. P. PALMER &. H. 'L. PHELPS.

STREET SWEEPER. (Applicabin filed Oct. 15, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet I.

(N6 Model.)

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

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No. 70I,38|. Patented June 3; 1902.

A. P. PALMER & H.'L. PHELPS. STREET SWEEPER.

(Application filed Oct. 15, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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'No. 70|,38l. Patented June 3, I902. A. P. PALMER & H. L. PHELPS.

STREET SWEEPER.

(Application fi led Oct. 15, 1900.)

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No. '70|,3s|. Patented June 3, I902. A. P.-PALMER &. H. PHELPS.

STREET SWEEPER.

(Application filed Oct. 15, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet: 4.

(No Mbdel.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR P. PALMER, OF \VAVERLY, NEW YORK, AND HOMER L. PHELPS, OF

ATHENS, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS ARD, OF CORTLAND, NEW YORK.

OF ONE-THIRD TO DUANE HOXV- ST REET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,381, dated June 3,1902. Application filed October 15, 1900, Serial No. 33,114. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR P. PALMER, of Waverly, in the county ofTioga and State of New York, and HoMERL. PHELPS, of Athens,

5 in the county of Bradford,in the State of Pennsylvania, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Street-Sweepers, of which the following,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear,and I0 exact description.

Our invention relates to improvements in street-sweepers.

The object of this invention is to combine in a single machine thefollowingmechanisms-viz., a rotary sweeper actuated by thetraction-wheels of a suitable truck or running-gear, a sprinkler carriedby the truck and discharging in advance of the sweeper, a spatter-dashor flexible curtain between the sprinkler and sweeper, a conveyer forreceiving the sweepings in advance of the sweeper and discharging thesame at the rear of said sweeper, and a receptacle at the rear of thesweeper for receiving the sweepin gs discharged from the conveyer.

Another object is to provide means whereby the operator may readilyconnect or disconnect the sweeper mechanism from the tractionwheels.

A further object is to construct the elevatorleg in sections, so thatthe lower section may be elevated or depressed, and to provide themovable section with a suitable dust-pan and flexible apron, whereby thesweepings may be easilydeflected by the brush from the pavement into theconveyer-leg in the path of the moving conveyor-belt and its brushes.

A still further object is to provide manually-operated means for raisingand lowering the sweeper and to connect the same to the dust pan in suchmanner that when the sweeper is elevated the movable section of theelevator-leg and the dust-pan attached thereto are also elevated andsaid section and dustpan are free to raise and lower independently ofthe sweeper.

To this end the invention consists in the combination, construction, andarrangement of the parts of a street-sweeper, as hereinaffor fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively sideelevation and top plan of a sweeper embodying the various features ofour invention. Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2.Fig. 4 is an inner face view of the detached elevator-leg. Fig..

5 is an isometric perspective view of the sweeper-shaft and themechanism for operating the same. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional viewstaken, respectively, on lines (5 6, Fig.

4, and 7 7, Fig. 1.

, 1 Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

In the drawings we have shown a suitable truck for supporting the partsof our invention and generally consisting of a frame 1, front and rearwheels 2 and 3, and a suitable pole or tongue 4. Upon this truck aremounted a rotary sweeper 5, a sprinkler mechanism 6, a conveyor 7, andone or more receivers 8 and 9.

The frame 1 may be of any desired con struction for properly supportingthe parts of our invention, but usually consists of outer andintermediate lengthwise bars 10, 11, and 12 and cross-bars 13 and 14,the intermediate bar 12 being arranged closer to the bar 10 than to thebar 11, and the front cross-bar 13 is secured to the front ends of thebars 10, 11, 8o and12, while the bar 14 extends across the intermediateportions of the bars 10, 11, and 12, is secured to said bars, andextends :laterally beyond the bar 11. y

The space between the bars 11 and 12 is filled in with a suitableflooring 15, which serves as a supporting-platform for the operator, andinterposed between the bars 10 and 12 and secured thereto and to thecross-bar 14 is an upright elevator leg or casing 16, which forms aportion of the frame and serves to inclose the greater portion of theconveyor 7, presently described. The front end of the bar 11 isconnected to the adjacent extension of the bar 14 by a brace or plate17, to the 5 lower face of which is secured a second brace or bracket18, having a bearing 19, which serves to support a portion of thedriving mechanism for the rotary sweeper.

We preferably employ but a single front wheel 2, while the rear end ofthe frame is carried by two wheels 3, the front wheel being mounted on asuitable axle, which is pivotally connected to the front end of theframe 1 in the usual manner for fifth-wheels, and the rear wheels aresecured to the opposite ends of a shaft 20, which is journaled in thebrackets 21, depending from the side bars 10 and 11, so that said shaftis rotated as the wheels are revolved.

The tongue or pole 4 is connected in any well-known manner to the frontends of the truck, whereby the sweeper may be drawn either by manual oranimal power or by any other motive power desired.

The rotary sweeper 5 is movably supported beneath the frame 1 betweenthe front and rear wheels and is arranged at an angle with the line ofdraft of the truck, being inclined forwardly from the rear end of thebase of the elevator-leg for concentrating the sweepings toward saidelevator. This sweeper consists of a cylindrical brush mounted on arotary shaft 22, the opposite ends of which are supported in the freeends of suitable rock-arms 23 and 24. The opposite ends of theserockarms may be pivotally connected to any suitable support, the arm 23being illustrated by dotted lines at Fig. 2 as pivotally connected to abracket 25, secured to the inner face of the outer wall of theelevator-leg, and the arm 24 as loosely mounted on an intermediary shaft25, which drives the rotary sweeper.

The means for rotating the sweeper 5 preferably consists of a bevel-gear26, secured to the rear axle and meshing with a pinion 27, provided onone end of a shaft and a sprocket 27', secured to the opposite end ofsaid shaft and connected by a chain or equivalent belt 28 to a sprocket29, secured to the rotary sweeper. In order to start or stop the sweeper5 during the movement of the truck along the pavement, we provide theshaft25 with a suitable device, such as a clutch 30, which is featheredon the shaft 25 and is movable into and out of engagement withclutch-teeth on the pinion 27, said pinion being loose on the shaftexcept when interlocked with the clutch 30. This movement of the clutchis effected by a suitable handpiece or lever 31, which is pivoted to theframe 1, and its lower end is adapted to engage the opposite faces of anannular groove formed in the clutch 30.

The end of the shaft 25 adjacent to the gear 26 is journaled in abracket 33, depending from the bar 10, and is extended through theelevator-case, and its opposite end is supported in the bearing 19 ofthe bracket 18, previously described.

It is desirable to so support the sweeper as to permit the same to movereadily over uneven surfaces, and we therefore provide suitablecounterweights 34, which are mounted on levers 35, pivoted to the frameat 36 and connected by links 37 to the free ends of the arms 23 and 24,in which the sweeper-shaft is supported. These counterweights serve torelieve the drag of the sweeper on the pavement and are of such weightas to permit a uniform light contact of the sweeper with the pavementsufficient to remove the dirt therefrom. In order to make furtherprovision for the raising of the sweeper from the pavement, we provide arock-shaft 38 with arms 39 and a handpiece 40, the shaft 38 beingjournaled in bearings 41 on the frame 1, and the arms 39 are connectedby flexible connections 42 to the rods or links 37, so that when theshaft is rocked by the handpiece the sweeper will be elevated, and whenthe sweeper is in normal contactwith the pavement the sweeper is free toraise and lower to conform with uneven surfaces in the pavement withoutafiecting the rock-shaft 38. During this raising and lowering of thesweeper the arm 24 causes the axes of the sprocket-wheels 27 and 29 tomaintain the same relation, and therefore keeps a uniform tension on thechain belt 28.

The conveyer 7 is movable in the casing 16, and, as here shown, consistsof an endless belt 42, arranged in the form of a triangle and mounted ondrums 43 and 43 and having a plurality of brushes 44, flexibly connectedthereto by suitable knuckles 45. One of these drums, as the upperone,43, is fixed to a spindle 46, journaled in the side walls of the easing16, said spindle being provided with a pinion 47, which meshes with aspur-gear 48,

also journaled in the walls of said casing. This latter gear 48 mesheswith a similar spurgear 49 on the rear axle 20, and it is evident thatas the truck is drawn forwardly the belt or conveyer is rotated in thedirection indicated by arrows 0a and the sweepings are carried upwardlyand discharged through an opening 50 in the upper end of the casing 16,which sweepings then fall into the receptacle 8. This casing 16 is alsotriangular in form, having outer and inner side walls 57 and 58 andbottom, front, or top, and rear walls 59, 60, and 61, and is dividedtransversely for forming lower and upper sections, the lower sectionbeing hinged to the upper section at 62, and its rear end is movablevertically to permit it to ride over uneven surfaces readily as thetruck is moved forwardly.

The lower portion of the inner side wall of the casing 16, adjacent tothe sweeper, is removed for permitting the sweepings to enter the lowersection, which sweepings are deposited upon the bottom wall 59 in thepath of the brushes on the conveyer-belt, and in order to facilitate theentrance of the sweepings to said conveyer-belt the edge of the lowerwall 59, adjacent to the sweeper, is provided with a dust pan orcollector, consisting of a flexible apron 62 and a stiff end wall 63,the apron 62 being secured at its upper edge to the inner edge of thelower wall 59, and its lower edge trails along the pavement as the truckis drawn forward, it being understood that the sweeper being arranged atan angle with the line of draft with one end inclined forwardly from theend wall 63 the sweepings will be forced or continually rolled towardthe dust-pan and by this deflected upwardly through the open side of thecasing and into the path of the conveyer and that the end wall 63, whichoverlaps the adjacent end of the sweeper, prevents the escape of saidsweepings laterally.

The end wall 63 of the dust-pan is flexibly connected by a chain or itsequivalent 64, Fig. 1, to the adjacent free end of the supporting-armfor the sweeper-shaft for permitting the dust-pan to be elevated withthe sweeper and also permit its independent upward movement when itcontacts with any obstacle or uneven surface. The open joint between theupper and lower sections of the elevator-casin g where the belt travelsis closed by a suitable connection 65, Fig. 1, which forms acontinuation of the rear wall of said casing and is arranged to slide inone of the sections as the lower section is moved vertically.

The sprinkler mechanism 6is supported on the front end of the truck nearthe forward end of the sweeper and consists of a watertank 66 and adischarge-conduit 67, having a perforated extremity 68, the apertures ofwhich are arranged to discharge forwardly and on either side in advanceof the forward end of the sweeper, thereby sprinkling lightly thepavement through only a portion of the length of the sweeper, it beingapparent that the dust thus moistened is collected inwardly toward thedust-pan and moistens the dust in advance of the rear end of thesweeper, and the sweepings are finally forced into the path of theconveyer-belt and carried thereby to the receptacle 8. I

Arranged between the forward end of the sweeper 5 and the sprinklerdischarge-pipe is a flexible curtain or spatter-dash 69, which dependsfrom the frame 1 into close proximity to the pavement and serves as amud or dust guard and to deflect the sweepings toward the dust-pan andconveyer. The receiver 8 is trunnioned on the rear end of the frame 1between the bars 10 and 11 and receives the sweepings discharged fromthe outlet-opening in the upper end of the conveyercase 5, said receiverbeing arranged to tilt rearwardly for discharging its load when desired.The additional receptacle 9 is preferably loosely hung upon the axle ofthe rear wheels for receiving any sweepings which may be carried over bythe sweeper and is also adapted to discharge rearwardly, being held inits normal position by a removable pin 70, which is passed through anaperture in the frame 1 or a bracket 71, depending therefrom. The rearend of the receptacle is formed with a shelf or projection 72, extendingbeneath the forward end of the receptacle frame and a revolving 8, andthis latter receptacle being weighted forwardly rests on said shelf.

The operation of our invention will now be readily understood uponreference to the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings,and it will be noted that any means may be employed for holding thereceptacles 8 and 9 in their normal positionsvand that other changes maybe made in the details of our invention without departing from thespirit thereof.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-- 1. In a sweeper, the combination with the frame, and a revolvingbrush of a dumpingbox receiving the sweepings from the front of thebrush, and an auxiliary receiver in the rearof the brush and between itand the box and receiving the sweepings discharged from the rear of thebrush.

2. In a sweeper, the combination with a brush, of a dumpingbox receivingthe sweepings from the front of the brush, and an auxiliary tiltingreceiver in the rear of the brush and between it and said box andextending under the box to pre vent its dumping, and receiving thesweepin gs discharged from the rear of the brush.

3. In a sweeper, the combination with a main frame, a revolving brushthereon, and

a curtain pendent from the frame, of a dustpan at the rear end of thebrush and a flexible extension thereof between it and the curtain.

4. In a sweeper, the combination with a main frame, a revolving brushthereon and a curtain pendent from the frame in front of the brush, of adust-pan at the rear end of the brusluand a flexible andinwardly-inclined extension thereof between it and the curtain wherebythe sweepings are primarily collected in a windrow along the edge ofsaid dustpan.

5. In a sweeper, the combination with a main frame, a revolving brushthereon and a curtain pendent from the frame in front of the brush, of adust-pan at the rear end of the brush having a tapered flexible andinwardly-inclined extension extending forward to said curtain, wherebythe sweepiugs are primarily thrownonto the incline of the dustpan andare collected in a windrow along its edge.

6. In a sweeper, a main frame, a revolving brush and a dust-pan at therear end of the brush,combined with an elevator-leg substantiallyhorizontal for a part of its length and open along its inner side, of aflexible, in-

,clined dust-pan extension having its outer edge secured to saidelevator-leg and dustpan.

7. In a sweeper, the combination with a re volving brush arranged at anangle with the line of draft, of a dumping-receptacle at the rear of thebrush to receive the sweepings, an elevator and case therefor arrangedto convey and to conduct the sweepings to the receptacle, said casebeing provided with a de- In witness whereof we have hereunto setpending flexible dust-pan in front of the brush our hands this 18th dayof August, 1900. V and having an opening in its inner side above ARTHURP. PALMER. the dust-pan to receive the sweepings and to HOMER L. PHELPS.

5 conduct the same to the elevator, said brush Witnesses:

and dust-pan being movable vertically for the JAMES H. OWEN, purposedescribed. J. M. LYFORD.

